THE ATOM

JOHN DALTON

Dalton developed a theory which states that all matter is made up tiny, invisible particles called atoms which can neither be created not destroyed

WILLIAM CROOKES

Crookes showed some form of radiation passes from negative electrode (cathode) to positive electrode (anode) when a current passes through a vacuum tube

He names the radiation cathode rays

JJ THOMSON

Used more sophisticated vacuum tube to show cathode rays were negatively charged, known as electrons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzMh4q2HjM&feature=player_embedded

 He proposed the 'plum

pudding' model of an atom - sphere of positive charge with negative electrons embedded at random
Managed to calculate

the ratio of size of charge on electron to its mass (e/m) but could not determine individual value of either number.

ROBERT MILLIKAN

Used the oil drop experiment to measure size of charge on electron This allowed mass to be calculated which was found to be much smaller than that of any atom Confirmed atom itself is made up of smaller particles

ERNEST RUTHERFORD

Rutherford bombarded a gold foil (leaf) with alpha particles (positively charged) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pZj0u_X Mbc&feature=player_embedded

He found that:
Most alpha particles passed straight through without

being deflected Some were deflected at large angles Some passed back along their own path From this information Rutherford concluded that:
Most of the atom is concentrated in a dense core (i.e.

the nucleus) The nucleus is positively charged Most of the atom consists of empty space

JAMES CHADWICK

By bombarding a sample of beryllium with alpha particles, Chadwick brought about the release of neutral particles with about the same mass as that of the proton

He called these neutral particles 'neutrons'.